Philip Morris Verdict Could Be
The Start of Lawyers' Gold Rush

By

Gordon Fairclough Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated June 8, 2001 12:01 a.m. ET

California is giving the tobacco industry a major case of nerves.

Quick to boast of its record in beating cigarette-liability cases brought by individual smokers, the industry was brought up short this week when a Los Angeles jury said Philip Morris Cos. should pay Richard Boeken, a longtime smoker with lung cancer, $3 billion in punitive damages.

Equally troubling for the company and the industry: The verdict marks Philip...